R. v. K.R.S.,

• Jurisdiction: Saskatchewan
• Judge: Bayda, C.J.S., Cameron and Jackson, JJ.A.
• Neutral Citation: 2004 SKCA 127
• Court: Court of Appeal (Saskatchewan)
• Date: 14 April 2004
• Citation: (2004), 254 Sask.R. 221 (CA),2004 SKCA 127,[2005] 5 WWR 82,[2004] SJ No 591 (QL),254 Sask R 221,(2004), 254 SaskR 221 (CA),254 Sask.R. 221,254 SaskR 221,[2004] S.J. No 591 (QL)

R. v. K.R.S. (2004), 254 Sask.R. 221 (CA);

    336 W.A.C. 221

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2004] Sask.R. TBEd. NO.004

K.R.S. (appellant) v. Her Majesty the Queen (respondent)

(637; 2004 SKCA 127)

Indexed As: R. v. K.R.S.

Saskatchewan Court of Appeal

Bayda, C.J.S., Cameron and Jackson, JJ.A.

October 5, 2004.

Summary:

The accused was convicted of aggravated assault. The Crown applied to have the accused declared to be a dangerous offender.

The Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench, in a decision reported at [2003] Sask.R. Uned. 62, allowed the application. The accused appealed.

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal allowed the appeal. The court declared the accused to be a long-term offender and imposed a sentence of five years' imprisonment with a six year long-term supervision order.

Criminal Law - Topic 5938

Sentence - Aggravated assault - The accused was convicted of aggravated assault - The victim was in the hospital for almost six months, and in a coma and on life support for some time - He had irreversible brain damage manifesting itself in significant memory loss and required daily assistance from his mother - The accused had previous convictions for, inter alia, common assault, forcible confinement, armed robbery and assault with a weapon - On appeal, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal found the accused to be a long-term offender and imposed a sentence of five years' imprisonment with a six year supervision order - While the appropriate sentence as of the date of the offence would have been eight years, credit had to be given for the time after the accused was first taken into custody - See paragraphs 63 to 68.

Criminal Law - Topic 6503.1

Dangerous or long-term offenders - Detention - Long-term offender - Defined - The accused was convicted of aggravated assault - The sentencing judge declared him to be a dangerous offender - The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal held that the sentencing judge erred in setting the standard at a cure being guaranteed and substituted a long-term offender designation - The accused did not suffer from any psychological disorders that prevented him from understanding the need to change his behaviour - Nor did he face the severe learning disabilities which sometimes made successful treatment a remote and unreasonable possibility - His grade 12 equivalency, achieved while incarcerated, demonstrated his ability to change and learn - See paragraphs 1 to 62.

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Currie (R.O.R.), [1997] 2 S.C.R. 260; 211 N.R. 321; 100 O.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 4, footnote 3].

R. v. Johnson (J.J.), [2003] 2 S.C.R. 357; 308 N.R. 333; 186 B.C.A.C. 161; 306 W.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 38, footnote 16].

R. v. Lemaigre (G.L.) (2003), 230 Sask.R. 262 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 38, footnote 17].

R. v. Turley (R.J.) (1999), 122 B.C.A.C. 133; 200 W.A.C. 133; 136 C.C.C.(3d) 426 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 42, footnote 22].

R. v. Goodwin (J.V.) (2002), 173 B.C.A.C. 35; 283 W.A.C. 35; 168 C.C.C.(3d) 14 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 42, footnote 23].

R. v. J.T.H. (2002), 209 N.S.R.(2d) 302; 656 A.P.R. 302; 170 C.C.C.(3d) 405 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 42, footnote 24].

R. v. Green (J.L.A.), [2003] 2 W.W.R. 446; 221 Sask.R. 212 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 44, footnote 27].

R. v. Weasel (E.R.), [2004] 7 W.W.R. 59; 241 Sask.R. 161; 313 W.A.C. 161 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 49, footnote 29].

R. v. McDowell (R.A.) (2002), 333 A.R. 1 (Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 49, footnote 29].

R. v. Kozovski, [2001] O.J. No. 103 (Sup. Ct.), refd to. [para. 51, footnote 31].

R. v. Nordstrom (K.A.), [2003] O.T.C. 284 (Sup. Ct.), refd to. [para. 51, footnote 32].

R. v. D.P.M. (1995), 136 Sask.R. 135 (Q.B.), affd. (1996), 148 Sask.R. 253; 134 W.A.C. 253 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 60, footnote 44].

R. v. W.G.B., [2004] 204 B.C.A.C. 3; 333 W.A.C. 3; 2004 BCCA 416, refd to. [para. 60, footnote 46].

R. v. Morin (W.J.) (1998), 173 Sask.R. 101 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Trevor (L.E.), [2003] B.C.T.C. 1154; 2003 BCSC 1154 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 60, footnote 48].

R. v. L.E.T. - see R. v. Trevor (L.E.).

R. v. D.H. (2000), 189 Sask.R. 295; 216 W.A.C. 295 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 63, footnote 49].

R. v. Durocher (R.D.) (2002), 217 Sask.R. 88; 265 W.A.C. 88 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 63, footnote 50].

R. v. Blair (C.M.) (2002), 167 B.C.A.C. 21; 274 W.A.C. 21; 164 C.C.C.(3d) 453 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 65, footnote 51].

Counsel:

Donald MacKinnon, for the appellant;

Beverly Klatt, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on April 14, 2004, by Bayda, C.J.S., Cameron and Jackson, JJ.A., of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. Jackson, J.A., delivered the following decision for the court on October 5, 2004.